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Arizona toddler declared dead after pool incident later found alive in morgue

By The Media Fact Checker teamUpdated 4 hours ago3 articles from 3 sources

Consensus Summary

In February, an 18-month-old toddler named Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino was found in a backyard pool in a Phoenix suburb and declared dead about an hour later after being taken to Mercy Gilbert Medical Centre. Despite two Gilbert police officers seeing possible signs of life, the child was placed in the hospital’s ‘cold room’. About five hours later, the toddler was found breathing again and rushed to another hospital, ultimately surviving and being released. Police are recommending negligence charges against the parents, citing a strong smell of marijuana and open doors that may have allowed unsupervised access to the pool. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case, while a GoFundMe page created in February highlights the toddler’s need for extensive therapy. The incident has raised questions about medical protocols and the circumstances leading to the child’s near-fatal drowning.

✓ Verified by 2+ sources

Key details reported by multiple sources:

  • A toddler was found in a backyard pool in February and declared dead about an hour later after being taken to hospital
  • The toddler was found breathing again about five hours after being declared dead in the hospital’s ‘cold room’
  • First responders were dispatched at about 5.30pm (Arizona time) on February 8
  • The toddler was identified as 18-month-old Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino
  • Gilbert police are recommending negligence charges against the parents
  • Investigators allege there was a strong smell of marijuana at the home and open doors that could have allowed unsupervised access to the pool
  • The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case and declined further comment on Monday (US time)
  • A GoFundMe page created in February for the toddler’s family stated he would need extensive therapy
  • The toddler was taken to Mercy Gilbert Medical Centre
  • The incident occurred in a Phoenix suburb

Points of Difference

Details reported by only one source:

Sydney Morning Herald
  • The child was later found alive in a room that serves as the hospital morgue, according to recently released police records
  • Two Gilbert, Arizona police officers saw possible signs of life multiple times, but the child was still taken to the hospital’s ‘cold room’ after being treated by staff
  • 911 calls included two relatives frantically reporting the child had been pulled from the pool, with one caller reporting the toddler was unconscious
  • No one answered at the home where the near-drowning occurred when an Associated Press photographer knocked there on Monday
  • A lawyer for Dr Aryan Toosi said there is much more to the case factually and medically than reported
  • The toddler was released from hospital and a GoFundMe page thanked supporters for prayers and support for ‘baby Vincent – our miracle fighter’
ABC News
  • The toddler’s family lives in suburban Phoenix, one of America’s hottest cities
  • A reference to a 2020 case in Southfield, Michigan, where a 20-year-old with cerebral palsy was declared dead but later found alive, dying two months later, with a $US3.25 million settlement
  • The toddler was released from hospital
  • A TV station in Phoenix was the first to report the story
The Guardian
  • The toddler was found alive in a room that serves as the hospital morgue, according to recently released police records
  • An ABC affiliate in Phoenix, KNXV-TV, was the first to report the story

Contradictions

Conflicting information between sources:

  • The SMH and Guardian specify the time as 'about 5.30pm (Arizona time) on February 8', while ABC only states 'about 5:30pm' without the date or time zone
  • The SMH and Guardian mention the toddler was found alive in the hospital’s ‘cold room’ after being taken there, while ABC does not explicitly mention the ‘cold room’ but refers to a local hospital
  • The SMH and Guardian explicitly name the toddler as 18-month-old Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino, while ABC does not mention the name

Source Articles

SMH

Toddler Vincent was declared dead after falling into a pool. He was later found alive – in the morgue

Eighteen-month-old Vincent Fiordilino was found breathing hours after being declared dead by a doctor in Phoenix, Arizona.

8 hours ago
ABC

US toddler found in pool and declared dead later found alive

Five hours after the young boy was pronounced dead next to a suburban swimming pool in the US state of Arizona, police were notified that the child was breathing again at a local hospital.

20 hours ago
GUARDIAN

Arizona toddler declared dead after near-drowning was alive for hours in ‘cold room’, records say

Officers say they saw signs of life multiple times, and after hospital treated the child, he was taken to hospital’s morgue A toddler who was declared dead after being discovered in a backyard pool in February was actually alive and found hours later in a room that serves as the hospital morgue, recently released police records show. Two Gilbert police officers saw possible signs of life multiple times, but the child was still taken to the hospital’s “cold room” after being treated by staff, acc

6 hours ago